Vessel and the closure thereof.



H. MARLES. VESSEL AND THE CLOSURE THEREOF. APPLICATION FILED MAY 28. 1907.

Patented Dec. 19, 1911.

Witnesses.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY MARLES, OF MANOR PARK, ENGLAND.

VESSEL AND THE CLOSURE THEREOF.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY MARLES, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 24 Essex road, Manor Park, in the county of Essex, England, engineer, have, invented new and useful Improvements Relating to Vessels and the Closures Thereof, of which the following is a specification.

My invention comprises improvements relating to vessels and the closures thereof more especially bottles using sealing capsules or caps, of the kind known as crown cork stoppers seen in the accompanying drawings.

The object of my invention is to effect improvements in the formation of the vessel for the purpose of facilitating the removal of the said capsules by means of a coin or any other article having a similar comparatively thick square edge or end and capable of being applied as a lever and in such a manner that the removal of the capsule may be effected at one operation with great facility.

The arrangement is more particularly intended to permit of a coin being used, as a coin of one or other denomination is probably more often to hand than anything else that would be likely to answer the purpose.

Although the arrangement permits of a comparatively thick ended instrument being used, it does not necessitate any increased depth in the usual annular space below the locking shoulder which increased depth would weaken the bottle head. Neither is it necessary to use any manual force to insert the edge of the coin or other instrument when using same as a lever.

In carrying out my invention I form a substantially right an led projection upon the bottle head at a su cient distance below the underside of the bulbous or curved locking shoulder. so that when the sealing cap is in place with its flange locked down, a space is formed between the lower edge of the said flange and the top horizontal surface of the said projection. This space being wide enough to admit the edge of an ordinary coin or its equivalent if desired and in order that this space shall admit of the con venient insertion of a coin of any current denomination, the upper surface of the said projection is arranged at one or more angles to the lower edge of the locking flange of the sealing cap or the upper surface is arranged in the form of steps which may en- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 28, 1907.

Patented Dec. 19. 1911. Serial No. 376,195.

tirely or only partially surround the neck of the bottle or the like, so that said upper surface of the projection or parts thereof is or are nearer at some places to the said locking flange than at others, the resultbeing that the opening between the surface of the projection or projections and the lower edge of the locking flange varies in width and either a thin coin or a thick' coin may be used, whichever is most readily available. The projection preferably stands out slightly beyond the edge of the said locking flange of the sealing cap, but in any case sufficiently to allow of the coin or other object exerting a leverage against the flange. \Vhen the edge of a coin is inserted into this space between the top surface of the said projection and the lower edge of the cap, a downward pressure may be put upon the outward end of the said coin which by reason of the leverage obtained from the fulcrum formed by the aforesaid projection pries or forces the cap in an upward direction, thus forcing the locking flange to open out by its contact with the locking shoulder, and allowing the said cap to be removed from the bottle or vessel.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a 'central vertical section showing the improved formation of the bottle head. Fig. 2 a side view of same with a sealing cap e in place and a coin a in its first position for removing the cap. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, except that the coin (I has been depressed at its outer end and the view shows the manner in which the cap is lifted thereby. Figs. 4 and 5 are central vertical sections of a bottle head showing how a cap with a close fitting flange may be readily removed accord ing to this invention. Figs. 6, 7, 8 and 9 are elevations of modified forms of bottle head and Fig. 10 is a sectional elevation of yet another modification.

It will be seen from Fig. 1 that very little alteration is made in the known form of the bottle head apart from the provision of the shoulder or projection c the recess b being only sufficiently deep to allow of an adequate locking shoulder a as the instrument for removing the cap has not to be inserted between the inner side of the locking flan e'and the surface of the bottle head.

T e coin (I when being used as a lever as shown in Fig. 2 is held horizontally with its edge placed between the lower edge of the cap e and resting upon the projection 0 so that when the outer end of the coin d is de ressed as in Fig. 3 the projection 0 forms a ulcrum upon which the coin d bears and consequently the edge fof the cap e is forced up by the inner end or edge of the coin d, and riding against the locking shoulder a the flange f is forced outwardly and loses its hold upon the bottle very quickly and the elasticity of the cap then asserts itself and tends to force the cap off the bulbous locking shoulder 0!. Or the coin may be inserted between the lower edge of the cap 6 and the projection c and given a. twist so as to tend to raise the cap. The same action takes place with a cap whose lower edge instead of being crimped fits closely to the surface of the locking shoulder as shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

In Figs. 1 to. 5 the projection 0 is shown as a continuous shoulder surrounding the bottle head but as aforesaid it is not necessarily continuous or regular. The shoulder or projection may be broken up or divided as seen in Fig. 8 or may even be upon one side only as shown in Fig. 9. Or instead of having its top surface that forms the fulcrum for the lever parallel with the lower edge of the locking flange of the sealing cap, the surface may approach nearer to the lower edge of the locking flange at one or more points of its circumference, so that the opening formed between it and the said flange instead of bein parallel as aforesaid may vary in width. or instance as shown in Fig. 6 the surface of the shoulder is not regular but being inclined or undulating in parts, gaps of various widths between the lower ed e of the flange and the surface 0 of V the shou der are offered for the insertion of articles of various thicknesses. The same object is attained by stepping the surface of the shoulder a as at 9 Fig. 7. The recess b is more or less curved in cross-section, such curve having the outer ed e of the flange c as a center. This is an important and distinguishing feature of the invention as it prevents the coin or other implement used as a lever from jamming beneath the flange a. As shown in Fig. 10' the top surface of the shoulder 0' need not be horizontal radially but can be inclined downward and radially inward if desired. This permits the coin or lever to be projected into the annular groove in a downward slanting direction thereby afl'ording movement of the coin or lever in a larger arc and preventing moreover the slipping or shifting of the fulcrum during action.

\Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1.*"In combination with a. flanged closure cap, a vessel having a smooth annular bulbous locking shoulder around the mouth thereof for engaging and locking with said flange of the cap and a projection on said vessel having a horizontal upper surface extending laterally beneath and beyond said bulbous lockin shoulder to form a fixed fulcrum for a ever, the whole of the upper surface of said projection being at a tance from the bottom of the cap and part of said upper surface being at a greater distance from the bottom of the flange of the cap than another part so as to permit of the insertion of levers of different thicknesses.

2. In combination with a flanged closure ca a vessel having a smooth annular bu bous locking shoulder around the mouth thereof for engaging and looking with said flange of the cap and an annular projection on said vessel having a horizontal upper surface, extending laterally beneath and beyond said bulbous locking shoulder to form a fixed fulcrum for a lever, said annular projection having a radially stepped upper surface spaced rom the bottom of the flange of the cap so as to permit of the insertion of levers of diflerent thicknesses.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. HENRY MARLES.

Witnesses:

FRANK F. Mnanows, FREDK. L. RAND.

dis-. 

